Above: (Right to Left) Prateek Hajela, NRC Coordinator in Assam, Registrar General of India, Sailesh and police officials of Assam meeting  with leaders of the political parties of Assam, in Guwahati (file picture)/ Photo: UNI

A corruption allegation in the Coordinator of National Registration (NRC) update of the State of Assam was referred by the Supreme Court to a constitution bench on Monday (February 5) by the court’s bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.

While Additional Solicitor Geneal (ASG) Tushar Mehta argued that it was a matter of border security, the petitioner pleaded that the main matter be listed before a constitutional bench.

Heeding the appeals, the bench was referred to a constitutional bench by the court and the matter is listed after two weeks.

The case deals with a complaint with the anti-corruption branch of the CBI, alleging misappropriation of at least Rs 177 crores in the NRC update process. The complainant has further alleged that the NRC authorities had fixed a salary of Rs 14,500 but money has been defalcated. It has been argued that such misappropriation of funds has resulted in the delay in completion of the NRC update and has caused considerable financial loss to the centre.

On Monday the petitioner submitted that the main matter be heard at an early date. In this, section 6(a) of the Citizenship Act is being challenged.

—India Legal Bureau